Do you remember the old ads, "When E. F. Hutton speaks..."?

Of course, the idea was that E. F. Hutton could offer expert advice on investing, and that it was good to listen to experts before making such an important financial decision such as investing your hard-earned money.

Most of us realize the value of listening to, or getting guidance from, an expert before we enter into important changes or projects.

In fact, a whole new breed of "experts" is emerging due in part to the internet and internet marketing programs. Just what are these people experts on, and how do YOU become an expert? Why would you even WANT to be an expert?

WHO ARE THESE EXPERTS?

They are people from every walk of life. They may be doctors and lawyers, housewives, internet marketers, shoe salesmen, Wal-Mart clerks, automobile service managers (met him last night), unemployed or retired. Male, female, young, old, college graduates and high school drop outs. Some are well known in their areas of expertise, and some have never been heard of by their peers. The next expert could be you!

WHAT ARE THEY EXPERTS ON?

Well, what do you need an expert on? Investments, child-rearing, self-defense, auto maintenance, cooking, network marketing, sales, running a home business...or even, how to become an expert? You name it, you can find an expert on it. Just this morning, I uncovered two experts on the uses of dryer lint.

WHO NEEDS THEIR EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE?

Just about everybody. Hey, I just looked for somebody who knew something about dryer lint! I was serious. I had a purpose for trying to find somebody that could tell me about it. That's what the internet is about...information. Everyday, around the entire planet, millions of people turn to the internet in hopes of finding information on just about every topic you can imagine...and some you can't!

WHY BECOME AN "EXPERT" ON SOMETHING?

If you have any interest in establishing an internet business or presence, one of the best ways is to be an expert in a field related to your business, project, or interest. People on the internet are seeking out experts daily, and once they find an expert they can trust, they come back to the same person for more information, and, maybe more importantly, they come to trust the opinions and guidance of the expert. If you sell pet products for example, becoming an expert on pet care could bring you into contact with many people who would be willing to buy your pet care products because they have come to trust your opinion and advice.

HOW DOES BEING AN EXPERT HELP ME FIND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS?

Actually, if you do it right, the potential customers will find you. A lot of the information seeking on the internet is done by means of search engines. If you have established yourself as an expert in a given field and search engines become aware of this, you, and your information, will be presented by them to the seekers of the information you hold.

BUT I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON ANYTHING!

You are probably wrong. You know something about something. Somewhere there is someone who wants to know what you know. That makes you an expert, at least to them. If what you know can be linked to what you want to offer to people as goods or services, that can lead them to accept your guidance in the purchase of those goods or services. There may be people who know a lot more about the subject than you do, but that just makes them "more expert" than you. It doesn't diminish the value of the advice or information you have to offer someone who knows less than you. I have even seen instances where someone who was a "real" expert on a subject acknowledged that they had not thought of an idea offered by a "not-so-expert" expert.

HOW DO I GET MY EXPERT KNOWLEDGE TO A SEARCH ENGINE?

One of the simplest ways is by writing small articles (600 to 1200 words) on the field you have knowledge in. The more articles the better, and, with time, you may find that even when topics and knowledge are limited, you can often approach the same idea or point from different angles. Once these articles are written, they can be submitted individually to sites such as EzineArticles.com where visitors can read them, follow links to your website, or copy the articles, with your links intact, into their web pages or ezines. The more this happens, the more links will show back to your web site, and the more people will become aware of your status as an "expert".

Another, similar technique is to use an article submission service, such as SubmitYourArticle.com, to have the articles you write submitted to several sites where they will be posted for real people to read and search engines to follow links to your site. SubmitYourArticle.com submits to EzineArticles.com, by the way.

Blogs are also a way to get your information out to the internet public, and you can establish a blog related to your area of interest or expertise at sites such as Blogger.com. You can always round out the content of your blog, or even a website devoted to your subject area, with relevant articles which you can find at places such as EzineArticles.com.

HOW CAN I GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE I'M AN EXPERT IF I CAN'T WRITE VERY WELL?

That's not really as tough as it sounds. First, while a well-written, grammatically correct article is more attractive in many cases, many people seeking the knowledge you possess will overlook technical errors in the writing if the information is valid. If you really know and care about your subject, this will shine through. There are also several services online which will proofread and help write your articles for a small fee. There are even services which will write the articles for you.

I HAVE A SUBJECT THAT I HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE ON AND WANT TO WRITE MY OWN ARTICLES, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW "A LOT" ABOUT THE FIELD.

Not a problem. If you are starting with a subject you know something about, a quick search on the internet will provide additional facts and figures you need to round out your article. Following up in this way may also give you more ideas for future articles. Also, writing articles is the sort of thing that you get better at the more you do it. Remember, these articles will generally be very short and to the point and will only need to cover a small portion of your subject area, at least until you become more proficient at it. Another point is that although your main point is to attract human visitors, you are also trying to attract search engines, and the search engines will not be quite as picky about your writing skills. They will be more concerned with overall content and relevance.

OKAY, I'LL GET STARTED TODAY!

That's the spirit. Go get 'em, Tiger!